Un-equal partners: Externalisation cooperation in migration control and the dynamics of development

Through the fusion of security and migration control objectives and the operationalisation of development aid, among other means, the EU and its member states forge geopolitical alliances tailored to the EU’s priorities of mobility containment and deterrence. The unequal power dynamics (historical and present) may affect cooperation in the realisation of externalisation measures. This paper delves into the equality dynamics in the externalisation of migration and border management. It deals with equality not directly regarding the refugees themselves but the relations that develop between Global North and Global South countries concerning externalisation policies and practices.  Specifically, it examines the cooperation of the EU with countries in the critical Sahel region of West Africa, encompassing transit but also refugee-producing countries. This is a priority area for the EU for outsourcing border management, while it also includes some of the top EU-development-aid-receiving countries. Employing carrot-and-stick tactics, the EU engages Sahel countries to achieve migration control objectives. Within this framework, the paper addresses (in)equality both as a driver and a consequence of externalisation. Inequality can serve as a catalyst for externalisation due to the reliance of cooperating third countries on EU development aid. Additionally, given that the UN endeavours to enable migrants as development actors, externalisation has the potential to exacerbate existing systemic inequalities and undermine the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.